Eastern Coyote (Canis latrans)
Daylight sinks to the breast of the mountains. Shadows stir. Long before venturing to the sunlit lowlands.
Padding in a line, they stop to steal the air. And a glance.
Then on again, they disappear on trails I would never know to walk.
(Leaf River IR Trail Camera, 7/26/2006 5:12:55 p.m., Wayne County, Pennsylvania)
24 comments:
Really lovely image & words.
Smooch,
The Tart
; )
Forests have always struck me as having a magical and/or mysterious quality, especially at dawn or twilight.
I always love the poetry that goes with your photographs, Jason. :)
Nice words for a scavenger I would just as soon shoot.
even a scavenger has its place in nature, scott
lovely image and words Jason
OOOOH you caught one on camera. It is beautiful. I always hear them in the woods but never see them.
I love this line.
Then on again, they disappear on trails I would never know to walk.
lovely just lovely!!
It's nice to know that in our city-world overwhelmed by noise; or the constant political utterances drooling across the airwaves and "webwaves"; or the din of mindless war: that somewhere deep in the woods there is slient purpose proceeding along Mother Nature's and God's plans.
A great picture and poem!
Wow, great picture. And what lovely words to go with it. I don't feel that romantic towards the coyotes in my neighborhood, but then again, they don't pose so nicely.
The perfect words! You were fortunate to get a photo; most people don't get to see them. I still remember an early morning when one dashed in front of my car. It was absolutely beautiful and I felt very special to have caught a glimpse. In your photo there, he really 'owns' that space, doesn't he?
It is rare to catch a glimpse of a coyote in the wild. The same with fox. I can only think of a couple of times I have seen them myself, and I used to spend a lot of time in the woods.
Nice photo and words to match, Jason. :)
It's always so peaceful here, have I told you that before? Lovely post.
my daughter Stephanie would like this.
We all steal a piece of this earth. As long as we give it back...
You did give your piece (Peace) back with this:)
The Tart, thanks! I was intrigued by the time this photo was taken. Funny how these animals are on the prowl at normal times of the day, and I've never seen one.
Deborah, so true. No matter how many times I've experienced it, to this day I'm still struck by how different a forest can be at different times of the day.
Jim, much appreciated! I would have never guess how popular these pairings would be.
Scott, I certainly don't appreciate them hassling the turkey population (I'm being nice of course. I should say devouring the turkey population). But I still appreciate the mystery and mystique about them. They're almost as elusive as our bobcat population.
Bev, thank you for the kind words. :)
Beady, do you hear them howling? I've only heard that once. A very eerie sound. I have the camera out for coyotes again. Hopefully I'll get an even better picture this time. :)
Robert, somewhere deep in the woods there is silent purpose proceeding along Mother Nature's and God's plans. Beautiful words, Robert. Thank you for joining with me in the sentiment!
Rene, coyotes are so secretive here. It wasn't too long ago when no one believed they even existed in Pennsylvania.
Livewire, you caught the "owning!" Very good! We thought he was leaving a little message also. :) I keep trying to explain to my mild-mannered dogs that they don't understand who they're messing with!
Jeff, thank you! I've seen a red fox in the same woods on a couple of occasions, and even a bobcat once, but never the coyotes. One of these days....
Rebecca, I do try to create a kind of refuge here. I'm happy that you feel the same way. :) Stop by whenever you need to catch a breath.
Marsha, thank you for stopping by! Stephanie might also enjoy the occassional deer photos I post. I recently had a mother/fawn photo!
Mermaid, hopefully by sharing these open and candid moments in the forest, we can regain some of lost connection to nature.
They weren't too hard to find when I was living on a farm in Washington. I had to teach a few of them the meaning of Keep Out. One used to howl outside my window in the pitch black, so I took aim with my father's rifle, a big shiny thing with a surprising kick. I missed. The next morning he was at the edge of the wood bordering on the property. This time I missed by a hair. He jumped out of hiding and ran deeper in. I slept from then on in the kind of silence you only hear in the country.
We have coyotes all around our property. I periodically hear one howling off a little ways when I'm doing the evening horse feed. I even occasionally find chicken legs lying around the yard and know that a coyote has been through overnight.
I see them on ocassion in the woods I travel. The coyote population here is out-of-hand.
Lovely. Just lovely.
Coyotes are such secretive and beautiful creatures.
Looks like a picture of a ghost. Beautiful, Jason
:)
Jason yes we can hear them howling. I like listening to them when they are running thru the woods. They yip and howl and carry on.
Hearing coyotes howling at night was a normal part of life where I grew up. It's a very eerie noise - yet wonderfully beautiful. I miss hearing that in the city.
Native Americans believe Coyote
is 'The Trickster'
I often see three of them, silent as owls, walking down the middle of the road in front of my house at 3 am.
Wonderful picture Jason.
The poem is a treasure!
Scott, maybe they just learned to be very, very quiet. ;)
Jim, did the chicken legs used to be attached to your chickens at one time? I suppose that would not make you very happy.
Erik, we're probably heading for the same situation here in Pennsylvania. For now, though, they're ghosts.
Nienke, I'm fascinated by their stealth. Just how long will it take for me to catch sight of one? Only time will tell.
Terri, thanks, my friend. :)
Beady, yes! The one time we heard them, that's exactly how they sounded. They would really cut it up for about a minute, then would move on.
Melissa, it's settled. You have to move back! ;)
Anna, thank you! Seeing three of them in the middle of the night must be surreal. The spirits of the Native Americans must whisper for you to beware.
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